


Otto

by Anonwrite



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Cat, F/M, Quintis - Freeform, Toby brings Happy a gift, married
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-14 11:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8012647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonwrite/pseuds/Anonwrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Toby and Happy are slowly falling apart. In a desperate attempt to fix it, Toby brings home Otto. A birthday fic for Maggie, as I'm pretty sure she'll be the only one who gets as much enjoyment out of this that I do :-)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bringing Home Otto

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maggiemaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maggiemaye/gifts).



> What was supposed to be a fluffy one shot, turned into a not quite as fluffy (but still pretty fluffy), two shot. Part one is up today and part two will be coming your way very, very soon. 
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my dear Maggie! I hope it's the best one yet.

_"Uh, Happy? It's me, Toby," he let out a small, nervous laugh, "Well, of course it's Toby. You'd know that." There was a pause, followed by a deep breath, "Uh, listen babe. I, um, I may have done something. Just, don't kill me. I'm sorry. Listen, I better, I better go. I'll explain everything when I get home. Like I said, I'm sorry, and, please, uh, please don't kill me. And remember, I love you." A small shriek came through the phone, followed by Toby's panicked voice, "No, no, not the face. Please leave the face alone. No-" and the line cut off._

Happy growled into the phone, her grip tightening around it, as she listened to that message for the tenth time, hoping to pick up some clue as to where he was...or what he had done. But she was fairly certain she knew what it was about. She used to get messages like that all the time, before they had gotten together, back when he would spend his nights gambling and drinking himself into oblivion. 

She resumed her pacing around the living room, trying to keep herself calm, as she checked her phone every two seconds, hoping he would send a text telling her everything was alright. It had been almost two years; two years since he had made his final bet on them. He had stayed strong the whole time, even through the failed proposal and marriage bombshell, through the process of the divorce so she could be with him how she wanted - never once did he break his promise to her and let himself get lost in the comfort of gambling, no matter how hard it was. Then a few months later, at Christmas time, she proposed to him, convinced her method of trying things in reverse worked. They wasted no time and a week later, on New Year's Eve, they were married on the roof of the garage surrounded by their family. 

They had been married a little over a year and things between them had been great. They had their ups and downs and stupid fights, of course, but never once did Toby break his promise, nor did Happy run away scared. They worked through their problems together, helping each other fight the urge to do what came naturally to them. They were stronger together, they both knew that for certain. 

But now, Happy was terrified that promise was broken and Toby had fallen back into old habits. He wasn't answering her calls or texts, he had left that cryptic message, and he had been gone for over four hours, no communication of any type, aside from the voicemail, not even with other members of Scorpion, Happy had checked. She was about ready to call in the government's help. After Toby was kidnapped by Collins, Happy had made a rule with Toby - no going more than three hours without some type of communication. That way they knew the other was safe. Happy never wanted to feel like that again, like part of her was missing, and was determined to keep them together and safe.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Happy fell to the couch. She couldn't help but feel like this was somehow her fault. She had started a stupid fight that morning, something about Toby moving her tools around so he could find more space for his books. She had yelled and called him names, as he just stood there in shock, taking it, before turning and leaving without a word. The whole thing had been stupid and not worth the fight. Happy had immediately wanted to go after him and say she was sorry, but her pride got in the way and she let him leave. 

Things had been tense between them lately, ever since Toby put himself in danger and almost died while on a mission, just after their one year anniversary. Happy had completely lost it when she heard he was en route to the nearest military hospital, fighting for his life, while she was stuck back home at the garage. Sylvester literally had to hold her back from driving to the airport and getting on the next plane. Once they finally let her go to him, he was in her sights constantly for a week; she was afraid if he went away, he wouldn't come back. And that overwhelming fear hadn't lessened since. That experience changed her life, more than she liked to admit. 

It had affected Toby too, more than just the scars and bruises. He suddenly wanted to take charge of his life, not wait for anything. He wanted the rush of doing things spontaneously. He wanted to move forward with his life and was becoming frustrated with Happy's constant hovering and disapproving looks; "keeping him from doing things he wanted" he had said a few times in the heat of the moment. And then he had mentioned wanting kids. Happy had freaked. She didn't know why, all of a sudden, kids were on his mind, especially when they were having trouble in their marriage. He tried to explain that his injuries made him realize life is too short and precious to waste time. He knew he wanted kids with Happy, so why wait? But Happy didn't want that, at least not right then, maybe a few more years down the road. 

With the baby talk, the frustration, and the fear, life for Happy and Toby hadn't been as easy as it had been before. They had fought more than ever since Toby got home from the hospital and it was always stupid fights - like the one that morning. And Happy was scared to death that Toby had had one too many fights, that he finally broke and needed a release. 

A sudden shrill ringing cut through the silence of the room, causing Happy to jump. It was her phone. She looked down and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Toby. "Toby?" she said hurriedly, answering the phone, "What's going on?"

"Uh, Mrs. Curtis?" a strange voice said from the other side of the phone. 

Happy felt her stomach churn. "Yes, who is this? Why do you have my husband's phone?" she asked sharply, nervously. 

"This is Paul, I'm the owner of Tap's. Your husband was here earlier and left his phone on the bar top. I was calling to let you both know, so one of you could come pick it up."

Happy bit her lip and blinked back tears, she couldn't stop the feeling of dread from overtaking her. This call almost confirmed her fears. The possibility that Toby turned back to gambling instead of her, hurt her more than anything ever had before. She cleared her throat and spoke shakily, "Thank you, Toby's not home yet, but I'll be sure to let him know." She paused, needing to ask more, but afraid of the answer, "Uh, if you don't mind me asking, when - when did he leave?"

"Hmm," Paul hummed, obviously thinking, "An hour and a half ago, I suppose. He was sitting at the bar, keeping to himself, just playing on his phone. He must've heard something outside because he suddenly got up and rushed out. Then not five minutes later, he came back in. He stayed for another ten minutes and then rushed out again, like he was late for something important."

"Thank you," she forced out quietly before hanging up phone. He had called her about an hour and a half ago, if only she had answered, maybe she could've stopped him. "Damn it, Toby," Happy growled, her fear morphing into anger, "What the hell are you doing?" She wanted to throw her phone against the wall, but knew that would do no good. Without Toby and his phone here, it was the only way someone could get ahold of her. So she took a pillow, instead, and threw it across the room, knocking down a frame in the process, shattering the glass. 

"Just my luck," she groaned, walking over to the mess, "Could this day get any worse?" 

Kneeling down to pick up the frame, she felt a sharp pang in her heart when she turned it over and realized it was one of the few wedding pictures they had allowed Paige to take. Paige had captured the exact moment they had been announced as husband and wife. They were staring in each other's eyes, fingers intertwined as Toby held them to his chest, and they wore matching looks on their faces - love, excitement, amazement, sheer bliss. Happy remembered how comfortable, how safe she felt at that exact moment, knowing that she had finally found a home that she would never lose. She was so in love with him and that picture clearly portrayed that. 

That home she had found was starting to crack though, as much as Happy fought against it. She hated the feeling of not having control and that's all she had felt since she heard Walter telling her that Toby was hurt. It brought back all the times she had been defenseless and forced to move from place to place, not being able to do anything to change her situation. So she resorted to what she knew best, snarky, hurtful words towards those she loved most. It had lost her the few friends she made when she was younger, until it reached the point that no one even came close. Until Scorpion and Toby, that is. 

Sniffing, she wiped away a tear that had fallen to her cheek. Toby didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve her hurtful words thrown at him, all because she was scared. Picking up the larger pieces of the glass, Happy stood to throw them away. Dropping the pieces into the garbage can, the echo of the glass hitting the metal can filled the air, reminding her of why there even was broken glass. She steeled her emotions again, realizing it wasn't all her fault. Toby made the decision to leave earlier, he made the decision to go to the bar. Whatever he did that night, he made the decision, not her. He could've come to her, talked to her, and maybe, just maybe, she would've shared what was putting her on edge. And maybe they could've moved forward and fixed whatever was going wrong. Maybe they could have started getting back to their life from before Toby got hurt. 

She walked to the hall closet to retrieve the broom, needing to clean up the rest of the glass. She stiffened when she heard the front door creak open slowly, dreading whatever the next few minutes had in store. 

"Happy," Toby called out tentatively through their apartment.

Happy didn't bother walking into the room before responding, the anger that had built inside her was ready to come out. "If you need medical attention, turn your ass around and drive yourself to the hospital. I'm not cleaning you up this time," she yelled back harshly. 

His footsteps stopped suddenly. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, genuine confusion in his voice. 

Slowly, Happy walked back out to the living room, broom in hand. Hope was building inside her, maybe Toby didn't do what she thought he had. As soon as her eyes locked with his, relief washed through her - he wasn't hurt or drunk or high on the good feelings from gambling. He was completely unscathed. Dropping the broom, she ran over to him, tears filling her eyes once again. "Oh thank god," she whispered, as she fell into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I thought you were gambling."

Toby's grip on her tightened and he kissed the top of her head, "No, Hap, not at all. I'm so sorry that I made you think that. I'm so stupid." 

Happy looked up at him, a few tears had fallen to her cheeks. He smiled down at her and gently kissed her; a reassurance that he was there and everything was going to be alright. 

"I was so scared," she admitted quietly, nuzzling her cheek back into his chest. 

"I feel like an idiot," Toby berated himself, "That message - oh god, Hap. I am so, so sorry."

Happy took a step back, sliding her hands to rest on his chest. She took a deep breath, glad that she was finally able to breathe again. "It's fine now. You're here, you didn't gamble. We're fine."

Toby leaned down to kiss her forehead with a whispered "I love you". She closed her eyes when his lips touched her skin, savoring the feeling, memorizing it again. Just ten minutes earlier, Happy didn't know what was going to happen between them, but she knew now that they were going to be fine. 

"I love you too," she mumbled, slowly opening her eyes, "But where were you?" Asking that out loud made the anger build up inside of her again. He was gone for over four hours with no communication aside from the one message. She wanted answers. Lifting her hands from his chest, she shoved him hard and let the anger she was feeling seep into her voice, "Where the hell were you? You know our rule, but you ignored it, Toby! I was freaking out, pacing around this living room."

Grabbing her hands from his chest, Toby held them close. Leaning down, he kissed her hands and smirked. "If you give me two minutes, I can explain everything. I just have to get something for you from the car."

Happy narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but nodded her head and watched as he raced out of the front door. A minute later, he came back through the door, but he wasn't alone, he had something in his arms. She took a step towards him, trying to get a better look, but she couldn't tell what it was. 

"What is that?" 

Toby beamed at her and shifted the item in his arms so that Happy could get a better look. "It's a cat," he exclaimed excitedly. 

"A what?" Happy almost yelled, taking a step forward again. 

Sure enough, in Toby's arms was a too-skinny grey and orange short-haired splotched cat, wiggling to be put on the ground. A weak meow escaped from it; it almost sounded more like a squeak than a meow. Happy reached out and pet him on the head, with one finger. His greenish-yellow eyes blinked shut slowly, as his pink nose sniffed the air. With another small meow, he reached out one small paw and batted at Happy's hand gently as she pulled it back. 

"A cat," he grinned, "I wanted to apologize, so I got you him." He held the cat out to Happy to hold, but she just looked at it in disdain and refused to take it. 

"You wanted to say you were sorry, so you bought me a cat?" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Toby winced and smiled at her sheepishly, "Uh, no. Well kind of. I didn't buy it, I saved it."

Happy just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. 

He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, "Listen it was a rash decision. He lived in the dumpster behind the bar I was at. And the people from the pound were there trying to capture him. We bonded before I went into the bar," he explained, looking down at the cat in his arms with a smile on his face. Reaching up, he scratched the top of the cat's head, "I gave him a piece of beef jerky because he was so hungry." He looked up at Happy again, "I couldn't just let them take him. So I pretended he was mine. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. Please, Hap, can we keep him?" He lifted the cat even with Happy's face, "Look at this face, baby, we can't say no to this face."

"Toby..." Happy warned. 

Toby's face morphed into one he knew Happy couldn't resist; his eyes grew large with a plead, his bottom lip jutted out just a little. "We could just do a trial run. I promise, I just, I really want to be a little normal. Plus, cats can take care of themselves, so if we have to leave for a few days, he'll be fine," he begged.

Happy sighed, knowing that she couldn't say no to him. She didn't want to keep starting pointless fights. She wanted to get back to it being easy. "Fine, you can keep him," she gave in, "But if he causes problems or is too much to handle with our jobs, he has to go somewhere else."

Toby set the cat down and beamed, laughing as its scampered away to hide under the coffee table. Leaning in, he kissed Happy quickly, "You're the best."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Happy grumbled, making her way over to the couch, as the cat observed her with a suspicious side eye, meowing at her when she got close. "We're going to have to go to the store to get him some stuff and he's going to need a name."

"That's already all covered," he said proudly, heading back out the door. Just a few minutes later, he came back through the door, his hands full of bags. "I already might have gone to the store."

Happy rolled her eyes as she walked over to where Toby deposited the bags. Taking a peak inside, she saw food, toys, a bed, a collar, litter, and a litter box. 

"Toby," Happy sighed, "Does he really need all of this?"

Toby just smiled and nodded, before bending down to pick up the cat that had silently moved to lay at his feet. 

"Isn't it just a bit excessive?" she questioned again as she pulled out the fifth fake mouse from one of the bags. 

He shook his head, "No, I want our cat to have everything he might want."

"First of all, your cat, and second of all, he's just a cat."

Toby kissed the small cat, "You say that now, but you'll grow to love it."

"We'll see," she murmured, reaching out to pet the cat again. He leaned into her touch and she had to fight her smile. Pulling her hand back, she steeled her face, "Now you said you had a name?"

He beamed again and proudly nodded, "Why yes I do."

Happy waited, but he just continued to smile at her. "Well...?" she asked slowly. 

"Happy Quinn Curtis," he said, holding up the cat - the whole scene seemed to resemble The Lion King in Happy's opinion - "Meet our new baby, Otto Curtis."

Happy choked back a laugh at the ridiculous look on Toby's face, "Otto?"

He nodded excitedly, "It's perfect. I named him after Otto F. Kernberg, a leading psychiatrist in psychoanalytic theories on Borderline Personality Disorder and narcissistic pathology. And, of course, after Nikolaus Otto, who created the Otto Engine and figured out how to overcome the problems of explosive combustion. And-"

She laughed, "I know who he is, trust me. Basically all cars nowadays run using Otto Cycle engines."

"So you know how fitting the name Otto is," he laughed. 

She shrugged, secretly pleased with the name, "It's alright. But are you sure, he is actually a he?"

It was Toby's turn to roll his eyes and he set the cat back down, "Hap, baby, I know my anatomy, even on cats. I once had to dissect-"

"Okay," Happy said loudly, covering her ears, "I don't need to hear it."

He laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the couch with him. Otto trotted along behind, jumping up on the back of the couch once Toby and Happy sat down. Happy's hair fell over the back of the couch, which Otto proceeded to bat with his front paws, occasionally trying to bite it after a meow of warning. Toby laughed again as Happy twisted her hair up into a bun, away from Otto's paws. But then, instead of stopping his attack, he climbed onto Happy's shoulders and began to bite the bun, wrapping his front paws around it. 

"Seriously?" Happy complained. 

"He's just having fun and getting to know you, aren't you?," Toby said in a baby voice. Happy wasn't sure if he was really talking to her or to the cat as he lifted him off the couch and away from Happy's hair. 

After setting him on the ground, Otto ran off quickly. He made his way over to the shoes and immediately began an attack on Toby's running shoe. Happy held back her laugh, not wanting Toby to see her entertained by the newest addition to their family. 

Toby just sighed and shrugged, "I need a new pair anyways. Let him have his fun." Shifting his body, he turned towards Happy, pulling her on his lap. Reached out, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and then kissed her gently, before saying, "I think we need to talk."

Happy didn't know how it was possible, but she managed to stiffen in his arms, while relaxing into him at the same time. Laying her head on his shoulder, she nodded, "I think that's a good idea. I hate how things have been between us lately."

They were both silent for a few minutes, each one waiting for the other to begin. Happy had one of his hands in other of hers, gently tracing the veins on the back of his hand. While Toby mindlessly rubbed circles into her skin where his hand rested underneath her shirt on her hip. 

"How about I start?" Toby finally said after a sigh, breaking the silence. 

Happy just nodded. 

After a pregnant pause with Toby trying to figure out what to say, he began, "Hap, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately. But I realized something when I was laying in the hospital bed. I realized that I want to experience life, especially life with you."

She shifted and looked up at him with confusion on her face. 

He gave her a small smile and leaned in to brush his lips against her temple. "I'm afraid that we'll get so caught up in saving the world, that we won't ever have our own life together. And I desperately want that, Hap. I want to have a family, a life with you." He shrugged, "I guess that's why I brought up kids, maybe even why I brought home Otto. So we have something that's ours, something to share and take care of, together. Something that makes our lives more about just work."

Happy stiffened in his arms again, furrowing her brow. When she spoke, there was fear in her voice, "So, are you saying you're not happy just being with me?"

Toby immediately tightened his grip on her, "No, never that," he reassured her quickly, "I am beyond happy being with you. There aren't enough words to express my happiness with you, babe. Don't ever think anything else." He tilted her chin up to kiss her sweetly, "I am so in love with you. Just by being with you, my life is complete. You are everything to me." He kissed her again, hoping to calm her fears. 

Reached up, she ran her fingers over his jaw, "Then, what do you mean?"

"I mean-"

"Meeeeoooowww"

They both turned towards Otto, who had let out the loud, annoyed sound, and started laughing. Otto had managed to pull Toby's shoe over near the couch, where he somehow had gotten his head stuck in the shoe. He currently was standing on his back legs, trying to bat off the shoe with his front paws. He was flailing hilariously and then fell over to his back, a pitiful meow coming from inside the shoe. 

"Just a second," Toby said through his laughter, pushing Happy off his lap as he stood. 

"Stupid cat," Happy said, chuckling lightly. 

Toby managed to pull off the shoe while avoiding Otto's flailing claws. Once it was off, Otto immediately couched on all fours and hissed at the shoe, before sprinting off to the other room. 

Throwing the shoe up in the air and catching it, Toby said, "I guess it's safe to say my shoe is not his friend anymore." He smirked and winked at Happy, tossing it back over by the front door with the other shoes. 

Happy just rolled her eyes and grinned, as Toby sat back down, pulling her back on top of him. He kissed the tip of her nose and grew serious. 

"As I was saying, I don't mean that I'm not happy, because I am, unbelievably so and I never thought that would happen for me. What I mean is that I want to experience more of what life has to offer with you. I don't want work to hold us back so we have regrets later on. When I got hurt, I got scared." He took a deep breath, "There's so much I still want to do with you, but I'm worried we won't get to do it all. Kids are one of those things. I know we both have reservations about it, so that's why I brought home Otto. He can kind of be like a trial kid - we have to take care of him and he's ours."

"Cats are a little different than real life kids, Doc."

He chuckled, "I know that, trust me. But if we can care for him, I truly believe we could care for a baby. Plus, having a pet is another one of those life experiences I want us to have. Neither of us got to have an animal when we were younger, but we can have one now, so why not?"

Happy was quiet for a moment, playing with her fingers, "I get where you're coming from, Toby, I do. And I do want kids, I think, but not right now, further down the road. I want-" she shook her head, "no, I need, more time with just you, us. I love what we have and I don't want to lose it." She swiped away a tear that had fallen to her cheek and spoke quietly, "When I thought you were going to die, a part of me died too." She looked up and cupped his face in her hands, "I wouldn't be able to handle losing you now. You mean so much to me, that it scares me at times."

"It's the same for me, Hap," he murmured with a smile, brushing away another tear. 

"I want to spend as much time as I can you," she continued softly, "It might be selfish, but I want more time with you, alone, before we have kids join us. I'm not saying I won't ever want them, just," she paused and grabbed his hands, intertwining them together, "not now."

"So all of what has been happening lately is because you don't want kids right now?"

Happy bit her lip, "Not entirely." She sighed and looked up to look him in the eye, "I've not been fair to you. I was terrified when you got hurt...still am. So I guess I've been taking out my fear that I'm going to lose you, on you. Which is doing exactly what I don't want it to do, it's pushing you away." She blinked back more tears that sprang to her eyes, "Toby, I was terrified that you decided to gamble again tonight."

"Hap, I would-"

She shook her head and raised her hand to his mouth to quiet him, "I though you chose cards and poker chips over me and I was crushed, because I did that to you." She looked down to avoid his eyes, "I thought maybe I pushed you too far. I didn't know what to do."

"Hap," he said gently, tilting her chin up to look at him, "I told you, I'm done gambling. I'm not going to do that to you. I'm not gonna lie, there have been times where it's been hard, but all it takes is one look from you and I know I'm strong enough to not gamble because I have you by my side. I will always come to you if I think it's getting to be too much. I will never choose that over you, ever. I love you and I'm not willing to risk our life together, just to gamble. The cards aren't worth it."

Otto jumped up on the couch and settled down next to them with a content sigh. Toby reached out and began to pet him. A purred filled the silent air. 

"I know that, I do. I'm sorry I doubted you. It won't happen again," she said, leaning in to kiss his jaw. 

"Baby, what else is wrong?" Toby asked concernedly. "I can tell there's more that you're not telling me."

"You're going to think it's stupid now," she murmured, burying her face in his neck. 

Otto let out a meow as he jumped up to the back of the couch. Getting as close as possible to them, he nudged Happy's head with his own. 

Toby chuckled, "See, even Otto wants to know what's going on."

"All the talk about kids lately made me think that I wasn't enough for you anymore." She buried her face even further into him in embarrassment, "You weren't happy with me anymore." She lifted her head, a pink blush on her cheeks, "I took out all my worry on you, instead of just talking to you. And I am so sorry."

Toby kissed her forehead, "Well you know that's not the case."

She nodded, "I do now."

He smiled, "Good because, as I told you, that's not the case. I'm sorry if I made it feel that way. I don't want you to ever doubt me, doubt what we have."

"I won't, I promise." She pressed her lips against his in the softest, the sweetest of kisses. 

"No more baby talk from me," Toby said when they pulled apart, "How about you come to me when you're ready? But until then, I won't say another word."

She smiled and nodded. He kissed the tip of her nose again, which she crinkled in response, "And besides," he continued, "we have a fur baby to take care of now." 

Happy rolled her eyes, but smiled, "You're such a dork." She laid her head back down on his shoulder. 

A few minutes later, Happy sniffed the air, "Uh, babe, don't take this the wrong way, but you stink. You need to go get a shower."

Toby sniffed his armpit, "I got one this morning and I didn't do anything today but sit on my ass and save this adorable kitty," he said, scratching the cat's ears again. 

Happy turned towards the cat on the back of the couch. He was just sitting there, staring at them. "Oh god, it's him," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust, "You need to give him a bath."

Toby laughed, "You don't give cats a bath, Hap. They give themselves baths."

She stood up and crossed her arms, "This one you have to. I'm not having that cat stink up my house. Where did you say you found him again?"

He looked up at her sheepishly, "In the alley behind the bar. I'm pretty sure he lived in the dumpsters."

"Toby!" Happy yelled, "Go give that cat a bath now!"

"Alright, alright," Toby said, grabbing the cat as he stood up, "Come on Otto, your mother says I have to give you a bath, so don't hate me."

Otto meowed in protest. 

Happy groaned, "It's not my cat, Doc, and I'm not his mother."

Toby turned around with a fake pout on his face. He lifted Otto to his face, "Don't you listen to her, Otto. She's just being a grumpy, mean lady."

"Toby..."

"I'm going to give him a bath. Mark my words, you're going to learn to love this cat."

"Highly doubt it."

"Just wait and see, baby. Just wait and see."


	2. Otto's First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to just be a two part story, but based on how part two progressed, it has turned into a three part story. The next (and last part) will be "Life With Otto". Thanks for reading it, I hope you like like it! :-)

As soon as the water started running in the guest bath, pitiful cries could be heard throughout the apartment - most of them from Toby. Happy rolled her eyes and smirked, Toby was always so over dramatic. She grabbed the bags that Toby brought in and started putting everything in its place; food and water bowls in the kitchen, bed on the floor by the couch, toys in an unused basket in the corner. Picking up the litter box, she looked at it with disgust. She had always been the type of person who liked her house clean. Clutter didn't bother her, but smells and uncleanliness did, so a litter box was everything she hated. She paused for a moment, debating on where it should go - she wanted it hidden, away from sight and smell. 

"Otto! No, don't fight me," a stern yell came from the guest bathroom, followed by a loud, long meow. 

Happy started chuckling to herself. She might not want the cat, but the trouble she knew he was going to give Toby was almost worth it. Deciding to go check on the boys, under the guise that she was looking for a place for the litter box, she made her way to the bathroom. As she got closer, she heard Toby muttering to himself. 

"Get back here you squirmy thing. Happy's going to kill me. Stop trying to get out of the tub."

Pushing open the door, she forced herself to hold back a laugh. Toby was covered in soap bubbles and water, while Otto was scrambling to climb out of the tub, front paws over the edge, back paws clawing at the tub, hoping to find some way to get out. Pitiful meows coming from him, filled the room. 

"Why am I going to kill you?" she asked, setting the litter box down in the corner, deciding that was best place for it. 

Toby smiled up at her sheepishly, keeping a firm grip on Otto, "Uh, Otto here may have escaped from the tub and got water everywhere."

Happy just shrugged, "I'm not the one who'll be cleaning it up, so I don't care."

He pouted, "Really, Hap?"

She smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of his head, "Really, Doc. But since I'm such a nice wife, I'll get everything you'll need."

"Give the cat a bath, clean the bathroom, it's like I'm your servant," Toby mumbled under his breath.

Happy cleared her throat, "What was that?"

He blushed, "Uh, nothing sweet pea, nothing at all."

She patted his shoulder and turned to leave, "Smart man. Make sure you show Otto his litter box before you two leave the bathroom, I don't want him peeing on our floors. And don't let that wet cat on any of our furniture."

"Yes, ma'am," Toby said with a roll of his eyes, turning back to Otto. "Oh no, no Otto, don't," he suddenly cried out. 

Before Happy could turn to see what was going on, she felt a wet, desperate animal scrambling up her back, settling on her shoulders with a meow. 

"Toby," she growled, her body growing tense. She could feel the water and soap seeping into her clothes and the wet cat smell was overwhelming. 

"I am so sorry," he whispered, reaching out tentatively to grab Otto, "I just took my hand off of him for one second and he was off."

Happy didn't say anything. Instead, she took a deep breath and started walking away. 

"I love you?" Toby called out after her, scared of her when she went silent. 

"Meow," Otto made his voice heard too. 

She still didn't turn, but held up her hand behind her, flipping Toby off.

"Meow," Otto tried to get her attention again, this time quieter, sitting still in the bath. He looked up at Toby with big eyes - almost as if he knew he made her mad and was apologizing. 

Toby scratched Otto's ears, murmuring, "It's not your fault, buddy." Turning to watched Happy's retreating figure, he called out nervously again, "Happy?" He was afraid of whatever she might be planning in retaliation. 

"Just finish the damn bath," she yelled over her shoulder, "I have to go change."

Toby quickly finished bathing Otto without too much more trouble. It seemed they had an understanding after Happy left the bathroom. Otto almost appeared contrite as he let Toby finish washing him, only letting out a few sad meows, hanging his head down low. After it was done, Toby wrapped him up in a towel to dry him. Otto nuzzled his head into Toby's hand and began purring contentedly as Toby walked out to the living room. 

He stopped and smiled at the sight in front of him - Happy was curled up on the couch, fast asleep, in one of his old sweatshirts and sleep shorts. Otto looked over at Happy and meowed, wiggling to be put down. Toby obliged, gently setting him on the ground. He immediately wiggly his back side and ran into the kitchen with a growl. Toby chuckled as he watched him, before turning back to Happy. 

Quietly, he made his way over to the couch, grabbing a blanket from a nearby chair. Sitting on the edge of the couch, he reached out his hand to push away hair that had fallen on Happy's face. She immediately turned her head into the warmth of his hand, a small sigh escaping from her lips. 

"Hap," he said quietly, brushing his fingertips down her cheek, "are you awake?"

Unsurprisingly, she didn't answer. He smiled and leaned over, kissing her lightly on the forehead. Standing up, he covered her with the blanket and a whispered, "I love you."

All of a sudden, the sound of four paws running fast across the hardwood floor filled the room. 

"Otto, no," Toby whisper-shouted, unsure of where he was. 

But the sound only came closer, until all of a sudden Otto appeared on the back of the couch, having jumped up from the floor. Before Toby could even react, Otto jumped from the couch, over Happy, and landed on the coffee table where a magazine was laying. The magazine slid on the smooth surface and Otto started flailing and clawing at the table, trying to keep his balance. He landed on the floor with a hard thud and a loud, surprised meow, before continuing his lap around the room. 

Happy stirred slightly and whispered in her sleep, "Toby."

"Shh, Hap," Toby whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead again. Standing back straight, he started chasing after Otto, "Otto, get back here," he continually whispered, hoping he would listen. 

But he didn't and he was too fast for Toby to catch. Toby eventually gave up, worried that the noise he was making would wake up Happy, and he was already in the doghouse as it was. So instead, he went to clean up, hoping Otto would calm down. 

Fifteen minutes later, Toby came back out to the living room and all was quiet. Happy was still asleep and Otto...well Otto was nowhere to be found. He wasn't running around anymore and he hadn't followed Toby into the bathroom, so Toby had no idea where he was. 

"Otto," Toby called out quietly, hoping he would come. But he didn't. Worried that Otto was getting in to something that Happy would kill him over, Toby searched their entire apartment, but still couldn't find him. He started to get nervous, "Otto? Where are you?"

It wasn't until a small, quiet meow came from the couch, that Toby realized where he was. Leaning over the back of the couch, he saw Otto sleepily gazing up at him from his curled up position behind Happy's knees. He blinked slowly, then laid his head back down on his paws, a loud purr coming from his chest. 

Toby smiled and reached down to pet Otto's head, "Good boy, Otto." He pulled the blanket up further on Happy and whispered a goodnight, before turning to head to the bedroom. 

"Come on, Otto," he called out gently, "Let's go to bed." But Otto didn't come, as he was already fast asleep next to Happy on the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Toby," Happy mumbled sleepily, reaching her hand out towards him, forgetting she was on the couch. When she felt nothing but air, she opened her eyes and rubbed them, realizing she was in the living room. Wanting to sleep in her own bed with Toby, she began rolling to her back, making her move to get up to go to their bedroom.

Suddenly, a loud, unexpected meow filled the air as her leg hit something soft. She let out a scream and jumped to her feet, her heart beating fast. Otto scrambled to the back of the couch with another surprised meow, followed by something similar to a growl. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until Otto broke the gaze with a huge yawn. 

Happy, still clutching her chest from the surprise, let out a rush of air, "Damn it, Otto. Don't do that."

He stood up and stretched, before jumping down to sit at Happy's feet. He began giving himself a bath as Happy just continued to stare at him. 

"What were you even doing by me? When did you even jump up there?" she asked him, before rolling her eyes at herself. It was two in the morning and she was talking to a cat, a cat who couldn't answer her back. "Get it together, Happy," she muttered to herself, "Stop talking to the stupid cat."

In response, Otto stood up again and began rubbing against her legs with a purr. Happy tried to push him away with her feet, but that just caused him to press into her harder. 

"Get off me," she grumbled, walking away. 

But Otto just jogged along after her, pressing into her legs every time he got the chance. She stopped and pushed him away again, but he came back, this time weaving his way through her legs in a figure eight motion, a loud purr the only sound to be heard. 

Happy sighed and began walking again, only to be tripped by Otto's continual motion through her legs. She let out a shriek and fell into the wall, hitting her elbow in the process. 

"Get away from me, stupid cat. You need to stop," she complained, rubbing her arm, where there was sure to be bruise in the morning. 

Otto, who had finally stopped, sat and looked up at Happy. He cocked his head at her and let out a small meow. 

Happy shooed him with her hand when she reached the door, "Go find your bed, Otto. You're not sleeping in here."

His head cocked further and he let out another meow before racing over to the door. Happy quickly blocked his path with her foot, which he ran into with a surprised meow. 

"Oh no you don't," she muttered, leaning down to pick him up. 

He immediately nuzzled his head into her chest and closed his eyes with a purr. Happy had a hard time keeping the smile off her face, but she was determined to not give into the cat. He was not sleeping in their bed. She carried him back out to the living room and set him in his bed. He stood in the middle of the bed uncomfortably and Happy had to stifle a laugh - he looked so confused. 

"Goodnight, Otto," she said, turning back to the hall. 

The next thing she knew, Otto was chasing her down the hall, pressing himself up against her legs again. 

"Otto," she growled, picking him up again. She took him back to his bed, "Now stay here."

But he didn't. It took Happy three more times of taking him to his bed and then running back to her bedroom before she finally got into the room and the door shut without Otto sneaking past her. 

Toby stirred as Happy let out a too loud "ah ha". 

"Hap, what's going on?" he mumbled sleepily, propping himself up on his elbows. 

She walked over to his side of the bed and leaned down to kiss him gently, "Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."

"Okay," he muttered, falling back onto his pillow, already asleep. 

As Happy was in the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth, a horrible, loud, cry-like meow came through their bedroom door. For a second, Happy thought there was a child crying somewhere in their apartment - but it was just Otto. She quickly made her way over to the door, wanting to stop him before he woke up Toby. 

Kneeling on the ground, Happy opened the door a crack and stuck her hand out. Otto immediately pushed against her hand with his head, trying to get in. She pushed him back, ignoring his pleading meows. 

"Get back, Otto. Stop begging. I already told you, you're not coming in here."

Otto tried to sneak past her arm, but Happy stopped him again, to which Otto meowed sadly in response. She scratched his ears for a second, feeling a little bad about keeping him away, especially when he leaned into her hand, closing his eyes. Happy relaxed her grip on the door, thinking he was finally relaxed. But when he tried to go past her again, any guilty feelings went away as he struggled against her hands. If she didn't know any better, she would think he had been planning that the whole time. 

"No, that's enough," she said, shoving him so he took a few steps back. She quickly shut the door. 

Before she could even take three steps, the crying started up again, this time accompanied by the scratching of his paws on the door. Sighing, she turned back around and noticed one small paw sticking into their room from under the door. Leaning down, she grabbed the paw between two fingers. Otto immediately pulled his paw back, as his cries grew louder. Happy cracked the door again, this time just enough to get a look at him. 

"Damn it, Otto, stop it," she mumbled, pushing his head back through the crack. He had somehow managed to twist his head so that it would fit through the crack, followed by his two front paws. He looked hilarious...and was stuck, clawing at the air, trying to figure out some way in or out. She opened the door further so he wouldn't get hurt,Toby would be furious is his precious cat got hurt on his first night with them. He raced in and jumped up on the bed, immediately folding his legs underneath him as he laid down. Sighing, she planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head, "No, this is not your bed."

Picking him up, she walked back over to the door and lightly tossed him out. He landed on his feet with a harsh meow and turned to look at Happy over his shoulder, a look of betrayal on his face. 

"Sorry bud," she whispered, shutting the door, "but your bed is out there."

Closing the door, she walked back over to the bed. Just as she face planted onto her pillow, Otto's cries struck up again. 

"Ugh," Happy groaned into her pillow, "it's like having a newborn." 

Toby groaned and opened his eyes. "What's that god-awful sound?" he asked, furrowing his brow as he looked around the room. 

Rolling to her side, she shoved Toby gently, "Your cat won't stop crying and it's driving me crazy."

Smirking, Toby pushed Happy's hair over her shoulder, "Why's he crying?"

Flopping on her back, she groaned, "He doesn't want to be alone."

Toby slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Well, let's just let him in and he'll stop." He pushed the covers to the side, shuddering as the cool air hit his body.

Happy reached on and pulled on his arm, causing him to fall back on the bed as he began to stand up. "Don't you dare," she said through gritted teeth, "You don't know what I went through to get in here without him. That cat is not sleeping in here."

"But Hap," he pouted, "he's not going to stop crying. We can't do that to him. That's just cruel."

Happy closed her eyes and pulled the covers up. "Then you can sleep out there with him, but I'm sleeping in here," she paused and opened one eye, before adding, "without that cat."

Toby crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip, "But the cat is going to think we don't like him, baby."

Huffing she opened both her eyes and glared at Toby, "I'm not the one who brought him home, so he'd be right. Now goodnight."

"You're mean," Toby grumbled, laying back down, pulling Happy close to his body.

She patted his hand resting on her stomach, before yawning and responding, "Yep, I am."

They tried to ignore him as his cries continued right outside their door. Eventually Toby could take it no longer. 

"Otto," he called out pitifully, "go away. Please. Go sleep in your nice bed that we got you. Just stop your crying."

Otto let out one more mournful meow and a half-hearted bat at the door with his paws before stopping. 

"I feel so bad, Hap," he said sadly, after all was quiet for five minutes. 

But she didn't respond, she was already asleep. 

Smiling, Toby pulled her closer and kissed her neck. Quietly, he whispered before falling asleep, "Love you, even if you hate my cat."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rolling to her back, Happy smiled and stretched, letting out a small moan. She reached out her hand, expecting to find Toby, but was met with an empty, cold bed on his side. Turning her head and opening her eyes, she saw he had already woken and left the bed. Furrowing her brow, she couldn't help think about how much she hated the feeling of not waking up next to him. This was the second time in a row she had woken up and he wasn't by her side.

Sitting up, she ran her hands through her hair, wondering where he was. Even though he often woke before her, he almost always waited in bed, reading or drinking coffee, for her to wake, knowing that seeing him beside her in the morning was one of her favorite things in the world. Slowly, she stood, taking her time to stretch lazily, before going to find her husband. 

As she opened the door leading from the bedroom to the hall, she heard the pounding of feet running across the floor, followed by Toby's laughter. 

"Good boy, Otto," Toby called out.

Happy strolled into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, before heading out to the living room. Taking a sip, she leaned her hip against the back of the couch and watched Toby and Otto playing. 

Toby was laying on the floor, petting Otto, who was sprawled out on his back, reaching out to bat Toby's face. Toby scrunched his face and pushed Otto's paws away. Grabbing the nearby fake mouse, Toby held it above Otto's head, bopping him on the nose with it, before throwing it across the room. Otto scrambled to his feet and ran after it, batting it across the floor before grabbing it in his mouth and bringing it back over to Toby. 

Happy hid her smile behind her mug as Toby kissed Otto's head. Sensing her gaze, Toby looked up, a beaming smile lighting up his entire face. 

"Hi, baby," he greeted her while teasing Otto with the mouse again. 

"It's nice to see the cat has become more important that your own wife in the morning," she deadpanned.

"Aw, Hap, that's not true," he said, standing, after throwing the mouse again for Otto, "I just felt bad about last night, so I wanted to check on him."

"Mmhmm," Happy hummed, setting her mug down on the nearby end table. 

Otto, having "caught" the mouse, trotted over to Happy and dropped it at her feet, before looking up at her with a meow. When she didn't immediately respond, he started rubbing up against her legs again, meowing incessantly. Sighing, she bent down and patted his head, hoping it would get him to stop. But it just encouraged him. Jumping up to the back of the couch, he sat down in front of her, reaching out one paw, resting it against her stomach with a small meow. 

"What the hell are you doing, weirdo?" Happy asked him quietly, rubbing her finger down his nose. 

Toby knelt on the couch and grabbed Otto, holding him up to his face, "You're not weird, don't listen to her. She's always mean in the morning. Give her an hour. You and me, buddy, we'll have a good time together. We don't need her."

Otto reached out and held Toby's nose between his two front paws and meowed. 

Happy rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, "Whatever. Guess you have no need for me anymore. You and Otto will be happy together."

Toby put the cat down and quickly made his way around the couch, snaking his arm around her waist to pull her into him. 

"Oh, I'll always need you, babe," he growled into her neck, before nipping at it gently and tickling her sides. 

Happy squirmed in his arms and giggled as he ran his scruffy face over the sensitive skin on her neck, lightly kissing it. "Stop, that tickles."

"Oh, that tickles, huh?" he said gruffly, but Happy could feel his smile on her skin. He continued his assault on her neck, hands tickling up and down her sides. 

Otto, concerned about the shrieks and giggles coming from them, came over to investigate, sniffing at their feet. Standing on his back legs, he placed his front paws on Toby's legs and meowed. Toby looked down and laughed at him, pushing him back. 

With Toby distracted, Happy finally managed to turn in his arms. She placed a quick kiss on his jaw and locked her arms around his neck. Looking up at him with a smile, she couldn't help herself, "I love you."

"Love you too," he mumbled, leaning down to give her a toe curling kiss, pulling her even closer to his body. They separated only when the need for air became too much. Pressing his forehead against hers, he asked breathlessly, "How much time do we have?"

Happy turned her head to look at the clock, distracted when Toby moved his lips back to her neck. "Forty-five minutes," she finally breathed, before jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. 

"Perfect," Toby whispered, as Happy slid her hands to cup his face, leaning in to kiss him deeply again. 

He started walking towards the bedroom, but faltered when Otto shot through his legs. 

"Damn it, Otto," Toby muttered, nudging him aside, before continuing to the bedroom, while Happy slid her lips against his skin. 

Otto meowed and chased after them down the hall. Toby groaned when he tried to shut the door, but Otto got in his way. 

Happy chuckled against his skin, "See? I told you, he doesn't like to be alone."

Toby dropped her on the bed, as Otto jumped up next to her. Leaning over her, he gave her another searing kiss. "Well, he's just going to have to deal with it," he mumbled against her lips. Standing up, he grabbed Otto off the bed and placed him outside in the hall, ignoring his meows of protest, as he slammed the door shut. Heading back to Happy, he smirked, "Now where were we?"

Happy grabbed his shirt, pulling him to her. "I think," she said, kissing him, "we were here."

"Oh yeah," he mumbled, already lost in her kiss as they fell to the bed, Otto's cries from the hall falling on deaf ears. 

An hour later, Toby and Happy were rushing to get ready for work. Otto followed behind them as they moved from room to room, meowing for attention. Toby would stop every once in awhile to pat his head, while Happy would curse him as she tripped over him. Eventually, they got out the door and Otto's meows could be heard down the hall as they waited for the elevator. 

Toby glanced nervously at the door. "Uh, Hap, maybe we should bring him with us?"

Happy looked up at him, wondering if he was being serious. He was. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, "He'll be fine, Doc. Until last night, he lived in the streets. He knows how to take care of himself."

"But-"

She shook her head and reached up to kiss his cheek. "No, buts. You should be more worried about me if that cat ruins anything in my apartment."

Toby's face blanched as he considered that, "Oh, shit."

She patted his cheek and smirked, "Yeah."

"Be good, Otto," Toby called out, entering the elevator, "We'll be home soon. Do not, I repeat, do not ruin anything."

Happy just laughed as the doors shut behind them. 

As soon as they walked into the garage, they were met with an upset Walter storming towards them.

"Where the hell-" he sneezed, "have you, ah choo, been?"

"Whoa, there, buddy," Toby said, clapping him on the back, "are you alright? You're not coming down with something, are you?"

Paige joined them, "No, he was perfectly fine this morning when we left the house. It must be allergies."

Walter crossed his arms, "I'm fine. I just had to sneeze. There is only one thing I'm allergic to and none of us are around it, so it can't be that."

Toby stifled his laugh, "What would that one thing be?"

He sneezed, "Ca-"

"What the heck is all over your back, Happy?" Sylvester asked, coming up behind her. 

She tried to look over her shoulder, "Nothing."

"Yes, there is. It's hair or something."

Happy pulled the jacket off to see what it was. "Toby," she growled, "Look."

Toby grabbed the jacket and started laughing. "You wouldn't happen to be allergic to cats, would you, Walt?"

Sneezing again, he nodded his head. "Yes, that's it. But none of us have one, so I'm fine." He sneezed loudly again. 

"Ugh, Walter," Paige groaned, "You know I love you, but I don't want your germs all over me."

"I can't help it," he said with a stuffed nose, "I don't know what's going on."

"Toby," Happy warned, giving him a pointed look. 

"Uh, guys?" Toby said through his laughter, "Happy and I have some news." He held up Happy's jacket, that Otto must've used as a bed the previous night, since it was now covered in cat fur. "We got a cat."

"You what?!" Walter sneezed.

"A cat," Toby grinned, "We named him Otto."

The team stared speechlessly at the couple. 

"Get that thing away from me," Walter screeched, taking a few steps back, as Paige rushed off to get him some medicine. 

Happy groaned and grabbed the jacket from the beaming Toby, turning to take it out to the car, grumbling under her breath, "Damn it, Otto."


	3. Part 3a: Life With Otto, Getting Used to Otto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This last part is filled with snapshots of life with Otto - what he likes, how he acts, if Happy learns to love him, and more. If you noticed, this last section has been broken up into Part 3a and Part 3b because I just had too much fun coming up with ideas for him.
> 
> An additional note: This chapter may or may not contain real life stories from my cat, Brutus :-)

**Otto loved to play and wildly for that matter...**

Toby and Happy quickly learned how much Otto loved to play. He played from the time they woke up to the time they left to go to work. From the time they got home to the time they sat down to eat. And even as they were trying to sit and relax at night, he was still finding things to play with. 

A favorite toy of his was his pretend mouse. He would carry it around in his mouth, dropping it at the feet of whoever was closest. Then with a meow, he would look up and wait for it to be thrown. If it appeared that no one was going to throw it for him, he would bat it around with his paws and pounce on it with a predatory growl. Then bringing it in his mouth, he'd plop over on his back with all four paws clawing at until it popped of his mouth landing next to him, causing him to jump back on all fours and stalk towards it in a crouched position. Happy would find herself laughing at him as he growled at the mouse from the back of his throat, jumping towards it like a cat on the prowl. But the second Toby looked her way, she quickly adopted her scowl, acting indifferent about the whole thing. Or roll her eyes when Toby pointed something cute out about him. 

If Otto wasn't playing with his mouse, anything that looked like a string was his next victim. Strings in the hood of sweatshirts, drawstrings on pants, fringe at the edges of blankets - anything that was hanging or sliding across the floor, Otto would run up to and bite at, pulling it into his mouth and once again, roll over to his back, wrapping it around his body. Toby loved to drag a string in front of him as he crouched on all fours. With a wiggle of his back end, he'd pounce on it or chase it down the hall, his meows filling the air. 

Otto seemingly loved to annoy Happy with his love of strings. There were many times Toby came rushing in to the room after hearing a yell of "Damn it, Otto," from Happy. Any time Happy was bent over drying the underside of her hair, Otto would come strolling in, take a seat underneath her, and begin batting at her hair. Occasionally his claws would come out, tangling his paws into her hair. It would take both Happy and Toby working together to get Otto untangled - her face growing more red with anger by the second and Toby trying to keep both Otto and Happy calm. Otto also loved to pull at the string on her running shorts. She'd pull them out of the drawer, the drawstring just barely sticking out, but he would still see it. He'd meow at her from his spot on the top of the dresser and when she stopped to scratch his ears, he'd reach out and pull at the string with his mouth. Normally a tug of war ensued until Toby would come in and take Otto out of the room, Happy grumbling under her breath about the stupid cat. 

If Toby wasn't sprawled out with a book or curled up with Happy, he could normally be found on the floor playing with Otto. He thought it was funny to try to pet his stomach while Otto was laying on his back, as Otto tried to push his hands away with his paws. Otto's whine-filled meows and efforts to get away always caused Toby to laugh. Other times, he would wrap his front paws around Toby's wrist, pulling his hand to his mouth and bite his fingers gently with a quiet meow. Or if Toby was sitting on the couch, Otto would lay beside his feet on his side and wrap his front paws around his ankle, biting at his shoes, while kicking at it with his back paws. Happy would often laugh at his wide eyes and desperate attempts to 'kill' Toby's shoe, making Toby's face light up at how happy Happy was with Otto. 

"So you do like him?" Toby would say nudging her with his elbow and giving her a wink. 

To which Happy responded by rolling her eyes and saying, "Oh shut up, Doc. Just because I laugh from time to time, it does not mean I like him. He's still annoying." 

And then Toby would lean over and kiss her head, "Keep living in denial, baby. Whatever gets you through." 

Because of the constant attention from Toby though, Otto became greedy during his play time. If Toby was ignoring him, Otto would jump up on the back of the couch, meowing loudly and pawing at his shoulder, hoping to get him to turn his way. When that didn't work, he would bat at Toby's hat, which was normally perched on his head. A few times, he succeeded in knocking it off. Toby would shout out a surprised "Hey" and Happy would pet his head, saying "You're a good boy, Otto," which he would respond to by purring and nuzzling her hand with his head. If the hat somehow found its home on the floor, Otto loved to push it around and take a seat inside, which always resulted in praise from Happy and a grumble from Toby. 

The string from Toby's bracelet, was another of Otto's favorites. As Toby read on the couch, Otto loved to jump up and begin batting at the string or attempt to bite it. Toby pushed him away every time, admonishing him. 

"Otto," he said sternly, "This is not a toy. It's my bracelet and I don't want you biting it." 

"Meow," he'd respond, cocking his head to the side. 

And, because he felt bad, Toby would reach out to pet his head, but before he could even set his hand down, Otto would start up his attempts at getting to the bracelet again, leaving Toby scowling. 

"Baby," Happy chuckled, trying to hold it in, "he's a cat, who you give too much attention to. He's not going to stop. He thinks it's a game." 

Happy's small chuckle would build to full blown laughs by the time Toby finally got annoyed enough to either move himself or move Otto. Toby didn't appreciate how much enjoyment Happy got out of seeing him frustrated. But eventually, he would see the humor in it and join her in her state of laughter. 

With his love of playing, Otto was often getting into trouble though, since he was always looking for something new to play with. One of those things he enjoyed to do which got him in trouble was to jump up on the table or the kitchen counters looking for a rubber band or a twist tie or anything small and fun for him to bat around. In this game of his, if the item was small and easily pushed around, it was his job to get it to the ground. There were plenty of times Happy would empty her pockets after work, finding spare bolts or screws or even hair bands in them. But when she went back to them later, they were nowhere to be found. Otto loved to push things over the edge, watching as they fell to the ground. He would let out a satisfied meow, then jump to the ground to start pushing it around. 

"Damn it, Otto," Happy said every time she discovered him where he wasn't supposed to be, while pushing him back down to the ground. 

He'd let out a sad meow and look up her, before rubbing against her legs in what could be taken as an apology. It eventually got to the point that Otto would just have to see Happy and jump down by himself. But as time went on, if Happy did discover him on the table and he didn't move, she couldn't bring herself to push him off; not wanting to hear the defeated meow and feel guilty about being mean. So if Toby wasn't around, she'd pick him up and hold him close, kissing the top of his head before gently setting him on the ground, petting him as he rubbed against her feet. She hated to admit it; the cat's antics were growing on her. She could see why people fell in love with their animals, but she didn't want Toby to know and have to see the smug smile on his face, so she stayed quiet about her changing feelings. 

At night, while Toby and Happy tried to watch tv or read a book or just relax on the couch together, Otto rolled around on floor and played with whatever he could find, be it a rubber band, a string, a shoe, or his mouse toy. If he wasn't doing that, then he was running laps around the apartment, jumping from the couch to the table and back again. No matter what it was that he was doing, he was always extremely loud. He would grunt and hiss, meow and growl, all while his feet could be heard pounding on the floor or chairs moving from when he would run into them with his full weight behind him. At first, Toby and Happy watched him in fascination. They never knew a cat could act like Otto did. But it eventually got to the point where they would tune him out, ignoring his crazy cat behavior. 

Otto kept up his playing until he finally plopped down in exhaustion, either at their feet, on the back of the couch, or in the middle of the floor, whatever was closest and easiest at the time. It was then that he would curl up into a tight ball and fall fast asleep. Other times he'd lay on his side and with a small squeak, he'd curl his paws in before laying one over his nose. But if he was really tired, he'd plop down where he stood, crossing his front paws in front of him, and lay his head down, instantly falling asleep. 

About the only time Otto wouldn't play when Toby and Happy were home, was when the sun came streaming in through the windows, warming the floor below. Otto would lazily walk over to the warmth, the appeal of it too great to ignore. He'd stretch, give himself a bath, then fall asleep, either stretched out on his back or side, a content purr coming from his chest. When he was asleep like that, Happy loved sitting next to him, running her hand across his soft grey and orange hair. Sometimes, if Toby wasn't around, she would even lay down beside him and kiss his small head, letting herself bask in the warm rays of the sun as well. A few times, without Happy knowing, Toby would walk by and see them both with their eyes closed and a small smile on Happy's face. He may have taken a picture or two of the sight, but Happy would never find out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Otto hated being alone...**

When Otto was left alone, his cries could be heard throughout the entire floor of their apartment building. It was loud, long, and mournful, almost bringing Toby to tears a couple times. Otto would sit by whichever door his humans had left him through and cry for them to return. He would turn his head and try to slide it under the door in the space between it and the floor. When he realized he couldn't do that, his paws would stick out in the crack as he tried to follow Toby and Happy. This would happen at night when they were going to bed (since Happy didn't want him on the bed) and in the mornings when they left for work. Toby made them late for work at least once a week because he would sit by the door and try to reason with Otto, hoping his sorrowful meows would stop. 

The cries resembled that of a young child crying. And they were so loud, that the elderly neighbor across the hall had even called police on them - "Child abandonment" she had stated...

_"Finally," Happy groaned, falling face first on to the couch, "We're home."_

_Otto jumped up on her back, sniffing at her hair. Then with a small meow, he jumped down and made his way over to Toby, rubbing up against his legs._

_"Why do we work for a company where facing life and death situations is a daily requirement?" Toby asked, bending over to pet Otto who was meowing incessantly, trying to get attention._

_Happy flipped to her back, "Because most days we like it."_

_Toby chuckled and pushed Happy's shoulders up, to sit on the couch himself, letting her head rest in his lap. "Not today, I didn't."_

_Happy shuddered as she thought of Toby trapped in the air ducts, machine guns blowing holes in the ductwork, "Yeah, today was not a good day."_

_Toby closed his eyes and rested his hand on her stomach, idly drawing patterns. "I think we need to find a job that doesn't get us up at 3 in the morning and not let us go home until 9 at night. I'm getting to old for that."_

_Otto jumped up on the couch beside Happy. He sat down and nudged her hand with his head. When she lifted it, he laid down and began purring as she lazily pet him._

_"I could go for that," she said sleepily as Toby's other hand wove through her hair, gently massaging the tension away._

_Just as everyone was about to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door. Happy slowly sat up with a groan, pushing Otto to the ground._

_"I've got it, Doc," she mumbled standing up._

_"You sure?" he asked, slightly dazed._

_Happy smiled, "I'm sure." Unable to resist his dazed and sleepy look, she leaned over to kiss him. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, but the second their lips touched, a fire burned in Happy's gut. She had almost lost him, again, that day. Reaching up, she cupped his face, holding him close. As he slid his hands around her waist, squeezing her hips tightly, another knock sounded at the door, reminding them why she had gotten up in the first place._

_"Right," she breathed against his lips, kissing him softly again, "the door." She flicked her hand in the direction of the door to emphasize her point._

_Toby pushed her gently away from him, "Go, before I completely lose my mind."_

_Happy nodded and bit her lip, unable to tear her eyes away from him. It was only when she took a step back and tripped over Otto cleaning himself on the floor, that she was broken out of her trance._

_Another annoyed knock hit the door that she rushed to answer. Pulling open the door, she was met with a large policeman filling the hall. She immediately, unconsciously, took a step back. In her younger years, she fled from police many times and it was still a natural reaction._

_"Is this the Curtis residence? Do you live here ma'am?" he asked gruffly._

_Otto, by this time, had become curious to see who was at the door. He strolled over and peaked up at the man from behind Happy's legs. She held him back with one foot._

_"What's it to you?" she asked suspiciously._

_"My name is Detective Jones. I'm with the LAPD," he said, showing her his badge._

_Happy stepped aside, pushing Otto back in the process, and gestured for him to enter. "I'm Happy Curtis and this is my husband, Toby," she said, tilting her head to Toby who had come to stand by her._

_"What can we do for you, Detective?" Toby asked, shaking his hand._

_"I'm here investigating a call we got earlier today about a report of a child being left alone in an apartment for an extended period of time."_

_"I'm sorry to hear that," Happy spoke up, wrapping her arms around herself._

_Toby saw this protective move of hers and placed his hand on her back for support._

_"I haven't seen or heard of anything like that going on around here," she continued, "But if I do, you can guarantee that we'll come to you right away."_

_Detective Jones furrowed his brow and shook his head slightly, "No, the report is against you."_

_"What?" Toby cried out, stepping in front of Happy, "We don't even have any kids. And we would never do that, we couldn't. We aren't those type of people. Those people are sick and cruel."_

_"Sir, we got a complaint from one of your neighbors about loud crying at various times throughout the day. When asked, other neighbors corroborated the story, saying they have heard it too, often times when you two aren't home."_

_"This is ridiculous," Happy said, crossing her arms across her chest, "We would never hurt a child, let alone leave one here alone." She turned to Toby with fury on her face, "Who would report such a thing like that?"_

_Toby thought for a second, "I bet it was old Mrs. Kline across the hall from us. Payback for that time she caught us in the elevator 'canoodling', as she said." He turned to the detective, "Was it her?"_

_The detective blinked and shifted on his feet before answering, "Sir, I'm not at liberty to say."_

_"It was her," Toby cried, throwing his hands up in the air. He took a deep breath and rubbed Happy's back, trying to get them both to calm down, "Sir, we work for Homeland with a team called Scorpion. Dr. Tobias M. Curtis and Happy Quinn Curtis. You can call and talk to our handler, Agent Cabe Gallo. He will verify everything I've told you."_

_"I don't care if you work for the government. That doesn't mean the complaint isn't real. Now, if you please, may I examine the premise or do I need come back with a warrant?"_

_Toby sighed and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck, "Be our guest. You won't find anything though because we don't have any children here."_

_All of a sudden, a loud cry pierced the room. Toby and Happy quickly looked around for Otto, knowing it was a cry from him. He needed them for some reason, so his crying meows continued._

_"Now what the hell is that?" Detective Jones asked, "It sounds like a child to me."_

_Happy sighed and started walking around the room, "That would be our cat, Otto. He does this when we shut him out of a room or leave him behind."_

_"Or," Toby said, reaching over behind a chair, "apparently when he gets his claw stuck on the back of the chair." He stood up, Otto in his hands who was already batting at Toby's bracelet._

_Happy stood and turned towards the detective, "I think you were given misinformation. We don't have a child, but a cat with major separation anxiety."_

_Detective Jones sighed in relief, "So it seems. I am extremely sorry for the mix up, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis."_

_Toby shrugged as Happy stayed silent, gritting her teeth._

_The policeman started walking towards the door, "I will explain what is going on to your neighbors. But I would highly advise on figuring out how to keep him quiet. You two have a good night. And again, I'm very sorry for the mix up."_

_"Thank you," Toby murmured, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, he spun around to face Happy and exclaimed, "Can you believe Mrs. Kline? She knows we have a cat. She's met him before."_

_Otto let out a loud, long meow. It appeared he was in agreement with Toby._

_Happy just took a deep breath and fell into his chest, laying her head on him, "Toby, how could anyone think we could do that to another person?"_

_Toby wrapped his free arm around Happy's back and kissed the top of her head. "I don't know, baby," he murmured, "I think Mrs. Kline was just upset about what she walked into on the elevator that one time, the canoodling. She wants us gone because of that. But we're married, we can do what we want with each other. And it was just canoodling."_

_Happy rolled her eyes, but buried her face further into his chest, "We were doing more than that and you know it. And stop saying canoodling. It's weird."_

_Toby chuckled, "I blame you. You know I can't resist you in a dress. And I had been so good all night, keeping my hands to myself. Do you know how hard it is to keep your hands off your wife when she's as sexy as you?"_

_"Me?" she exclaimed, "This isn't my fault. You were in a suit and tie. You think that was easy to resist?"_

_"Nope," he said in a proud voice, popping his p, "I did that on purpose, you know."_

_She hit his chest lightly, "Yeah, I know." Then sobering up, she added, "I just can't believe Mrs. Kline would stoop that low to get us to leave. I apologized," she paused and grimaced, "a lot. I even made her cookies. And you know me, I never bake."_

_He tightened his grip on her, "Some people just don't know when they've crossed the line and mean Mrs. Kline is one of those people. What she did was wrong, so beyond wrong that I can't even think straight right now. But don't worry, I'll take care of it. I promise."_

_Happy was silent for beat, thinking over what had happened. To even fathom someone doing that almost made her sick. She stiffened when she realized that if Otto caused this much trouble, kids would be even louder. She tilted her head to look up at Toby and asked quietly, "What's it going to be like when we actually do have a baby? A baby that's going to cry a lot?"_

_Toby smiled softly down at her, "I guess we move? Or we just warn everyone about it before he or she gets here." He lifted Otto, who he was still holding, even with her face, "But we're gonna make sure this baby stops all his racket from here on out. We don't need any more visits from the police."_

_Otto meowed again and reached out with his one paw to touch Happy's face._

_Happy couldn't help but laugh as she reached out to scratch his ears, "Damn it, Otto. Getting us in trouble with the police."_

It was after that, that they discovered if they left music playing or the tv on, Otto didn't realize they had left. The noise seemed to comfort him, distracting him from the fact that his humans were no longer there with him. A slightly higher electric bill was worth the cost of keeping the complaints to the police away. 

It wasn't just when they went away that Otto had trouble. It was also when they were home and choosing to ignore him. He always had to be near one of his humans. He would follow them everywhere, weaving figure eights between their legs - tripping them more often than not. If they weren't up and walking around, then Otto would be at their feet or laying on the couch, as close to them as possible. Toby sometimes even let Otto lay on his lap, but that was only when Happy wasn't around to complain about it. And if one of them happened to fall asleep on the couch, Otto could be found curled up behind their legs, purring contentedly. He was always happy, as long as he was near either Toby or Happy. 

The bathroom was a favorite place of Otto's to follow them. At night, when they were getting ready for bed, he'd jump up on the counter and stick his head into the sink, trying to get the water coming from the faucet. At first, Happy would push him off the counter and he'd land on the floor with a small squeak and a thud. Toby would look at Happy with a small pout and Otto would look up at her with wide eyes, but she'd just roll her eyes and turn back to the sink to finish up. But night after night, it was the same routine and eventually they wore her down until it was just easier for her to give in and let Otto stay up there. 

From time to time, while Happy was in the shower, Toby would come into the bathroom to get something and forget to shut the door when he'd leave. It was then that Otto would sneak in and take a seat on the toilet. The first time Happy saw this, she was not pleased. 

Happy slid open the shower curtain, humming the tune to some annoying song Toby had gotten stuck in her head earlier that day at the garage.

_"Meow," came a sound from the toilet._

_She jumped, her head whipping around and saw Otto sitting there, looking at her from his spot on the toilet._

_"Damn it, Otto," she yelled, quickly shutting the shower curtain again, "Get out."_

_He meowed again and she heard him jump to the floor. Peeking her head out of the shower, she looked to make sure he had left. He hadn't. Instead, he was sitting on the bath mat, right outside of the shower. When he saw her, he laid down and rolled over to his back, stretching out long with a quiet meow._

_"Otto," she said firmly, "leave."_

_But he didn't. He just looked at her with another meow, reaching for her with his small paws._

_"Toby!" Happy yelled._

_He quickly came running into the bathroom._

_"What?" he asked, sliding to a stop on the slippery floor._

_"Look at your cat. Get him out of here."_

_"I thought something had happened to you. Don't do that to me," he exclaimed clutching his chest while trying to catch his breath. Bending over, hands on his knees, he started to laugh when he realized why he was called in, "He's not doing anything, Hap. He just wants some attention."_

_Happy huffed, "Toby, I'm trying to get out of the shower. Help me."_

_"He's just a cat, sweetheart. I don't know why it's bothering you," he murmured, leaning over further to rub Otto's head._

_She glared at him, "Doc, it's weird. He keeps staring at me. Now do something."_

_He stood up and shook his head with a smirk, "Nope, you're being mean. Figure this out yourself. You're a genius."_

_"Doc..." she whined, "Please help? Can you at least hand me my towel?"_

_He sighed but grabbed her towel anyways, "Here you go."_

_"I hate you," Happy mumbled, grabbing it from him._

_"Baby. Sugar. Sweet pea. We've been over this," he said, backing out of the room with a grin, "No, you don't."_

_Otto meowed again, drawing Happy's attention back to him._

_"Could you at least close your eyes while I get out?" she grumbled, wrapping the towel around herself and stepping out._

_The second she stepped out, Otto started rolling around, trying to capture the water droplets that fell from her. Happy had to stifle her laugh. Otto even started licking her foot and ankle, lapping up any droplets left over and it tickled. She pushed him to the side gently with her foot._

_"Get away you weirdo."_

After getting caught off guard by Otto a few more times, Happy learned to check the bathroom before opening the shower curtain. He may only be a cat, but she still thought it was strange. He didn't need to be watching her like that. But when he would look up at her with his big, pleading eyes, she couldn't help but smile and shake her head, sprinkling him with water when she stepped out.

Because he loved his humans so much, when they weren't around, he would sleep on or in their things. Happy's coat she would lay across the couch. Toby's hat that had fallen to the floor. Happy's bag she brought home from work. Toby's shoe he had kicked off when he got home. It didn't matter what it was, as long as it had their scent. But that caused problems with Walter when they'd walk in and something of theirs was covered in fur. If Walter got the slightest hint of Otto's fur, it would send him off in a tizzy, sneezing until Paige would bring him his medicine. At first it was hilarious, but it quickly grew old, along with Sly's complaining about germs and unsanitary living conditions. 

So Happy and Toby had to make a few changes. They started using the coat rack that used to be nothing but a decoration. The shoes started going in a basket. A lint roller was kept in their car. Anything that Otto could get his fur on, they made sure to keep away. Of course, Otto didn't like this. He would walk around the apartment, meowing in an upset way, looking for something to sleep on. When he couldn't find anything, his meows would just grow louder and more frustrated, as he'd rub against their legs with a bit more urgency. Surprisingly, it wasn't Toby that felt bad for him, but Happy. She didn't like seeing him confused and wandering around looking for what he used to find so easily. So, without saying anything to Toby (she still didn't want him to know she was starting to care), she slipped an old t-shirt of hers into Otto's bed, which he instantly curled up on and fell asleep. When Toby realized what she had done, he couldn't help but smile. He sought her out and kissed her gently, all without saying a word. Although she would deny it, he thought she was the perfect mother to their fur baby.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Mornings were always a hectic time in the Curtis household...**

Happy hated mornings and took out her hatred on the alarm clock, slamming it down or throwing it across the room to quiet it so she could go back to sleep. So normally it was left to Toby to wake her up, a terrifying job in itself, but over the years he had learned the best way to gently prod her awake - brushing her hair over her shoulder, a few well placed kisses on her face and neck, gently running his fingers across her skin, quiet murmurings in her ear, coffee on her bedside table. Slowly she'd wake with a small, sleepy smile, a stretch, and a quiet moan, before blinking her eyes open slowly and mumbling out a hello. Toby would lean down and kiss her lazily before either getting up to shower or pulling her into his arms for a few more minutes of peace before their day started. 

On those lazy days, they would lay in bed, legs tangled, curled up together under the covers, slowly kissing until they realized they were going to be late or just too distracted with each other to care. But other mornings, most mornings, when Happy refused to wake, it was just a quick kiss good morning and then rushing off to get ready. 

But once Otto joined their family, the gentle prodding of Happy awake or the lazy mornings spent together in bed, became far and few in between. Every morning, Otto heard the alarm go off in the bedroom and Toby could hear him running down the hallway. Before Toby could even roll out of bed, Otto's cries outside of their door would begin. He knew they were supposed to be awake and he wanted to see them...and be fed. Toby'd quickly jump out of bed and open the door to stop his crying, knowing Happy would kill him if she was woken up by Otto's crying and not him. Otto let Toby pet him for a minute, before racing into the room and jumping on the bed, laying down at Happy's feet. Toby knew Happy wouldn't like it, but Otto looked so comfortable, that every morning, Toby let him stay, turning to go start the coffee instead. 

By the time he'd get back, Happy was normally awake and glaring at Otto on the bed, who had decided to run laps up and down the bed once Toby left, jumping on Happy with a meow every time she moved. But every once in awhile, both she and Otto were still sleeping peacefully, meaning Toby had to wake her. The first couple times that Otto experienced Toby waking up Happy, he tried to help. He moved to stand on the pillow and sniff at Happy's hair, while pawing at her face gently with a meow. Toby laughed, knowing Happy wouldn't like it, but didn't move him aside. However, after being pushed off the bed by Happy when she woke, Otto learned to stay by her feet and ignore the attempts to get her up.

After Otto came, when they did have slow mornings in bed, he normally slept on the foot of the bed, for once ignoring them. But that didn't stop Happy from pulling away from Toby when his hands started to wander - trailing up her thighs, pushing her shirt up over her stomach. She'd hit his hands away and roll her eyes at his pout, saying,

"Otto's watching. We're not doing that in front of him." 

"But, Hap..." Toby would groan, reaching for Happy again, but she'd move out of his reach and slide out of the bed. 

"Sorry Doc. You're the one who wanted the cat. You're just gonna have to deal with it."

With a small smile and a quick pat on Otto's head, she was off to the bathroom, letting Toby pout by himself. He'd run his hands over his face and look at Otto, who'd look back with a cocked head. 

"Damn it, Otto. Why do you have to cramp my style?"

Otto would meow and lay his head back down, not interested in anything Toby had to say. Then the shower would come on, causing Otto to perk up, his head turning to look at the closed bathroom door. 

"Oh no, you don't," Toby'd say standing up, "You're not going to completely ruin my morning."

He then pushed Otto back to the far side of the bed, who by this time was up on all fours, ready to race into the bathroom the second Toby opened the door. Otto would meow in protest and try to chase after Toby, but he never got there in time to beat the closing door. 

Once they were both showered and dressed, Toby and Happy were off, rushing to make breakfast and get anything else ready that they needed. Otto tried to get their attention the entire time, wanting to play or be pet. He'd rub against their legs as they leaned on the counter eating their breakfast and drinking their coffee, talking about the projects they were working on at the garage. And when they were making their coffee, Otto would beg for cream. He stood on his back legs and reached up with his front paws against the cabinets, meowing until they gave in and poured him his own milk in a bowl. Happy secretly thought it was cute. She loved that he had his own routine and ways. It was always something that could be counted on from him. And for someone like her, who grew up never knowing what was going to happen next, it was a nice feeling to have something mundane and routine. So when Toby wasn't looking, she'd add more milk to his bowl, loving when he'd rub his head against her hand in thanks, another thing she knew she could count on from him. 

When they weren't in the kitchen, but running around to finish getting ready, Otto would chase them. He would chase after untied shoe laces, on Happy's shoes mainly, tripping her up and sending her head first into the wall more than once. He would chase after Toby's ankles, wrapping them up in his front paws, trying to get him to play. But they would just shake him off and continue on doing what they were doing, much to his dismay. 

It was usually Happy who was ready first, even though she normally got up later. She knew how to get ready fast, whereas Toby would take his time, slowly sauntering from one room to the next. So while she was waiting for Toby to finish up, Otto would finally get his attention. Happy would lean against the back of the couch, next to where Otto was perched and unconsciously, reach out to pet him; scratching his ears and chin, rubbing his stomach, letting him gently bite her fingers. Eventually, Toby would come out, whistling a tune, ready to leave. And some mornings, Otto would do what he could to keep them from leaving. 

_"It's about time. We're late," Happy grumbled, pushing away from the couch._

_Otto made a little noise of distaste in the back of his throat at having her hand disappear._

_"You know it takes time to perfect this, baby," Toby smirked, grabbing his jacket and hat._

_Before Happy could respond, Otto made a flying leap through the air from the couch with a meow and landed on Happy shoulders with a thud._

_"Ah, damn it, Otto. That hurts," she exclaimed as he dug his claws into her shoulder, trying to stay in place._

_Toby stared at them with wide eyes, "Did he- Did that- What did he just do?"_

_"Get him off me, Doc," she yelled, "His claws just keep digging in."_

_"Oh, right," Toby said, springing into action and grabbing him from Happy's shoulders, despite his meows of protest and flailing back legs. "How'd he do that though?"_

_Happy patted down her hair, fixing it as best she could, "Cats like to jump. And he doesn't like it when we leave. It's pretty obvious to me. I don't know why you're so surprised, he has sat on our shoulders before. I swear, he's like half parrot or something."_

_If cats could smile, Otto was doing that as he looked up at the couple from where Toby set him on the floor. He meowed and sat down, looking at them expectantly, waiting to be pet or given a treat._

_Toby grabbed his bag and turned on the stereo, ignoring the looks from Otto, "Yeah, but normally he climbs up our back, hurts like a son of a bitch too. But he's never jumped on us like that."_

_"Toby, he's a cat," Happy said opening the front door, "Cats do strange things all the time. Get over it."_

_Toby stepped out into the hall, "He's pretty special though, Hap. Even you have to admit that."_

_"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say," she said, reaching up to grab his hat. "This stays here today," she said with a smirk, throwing it back inside the apartment and shutting the door, locking it behind her._

_If they had looked inside, they would've seen a startled Otto, with Toby's hat atop his head._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**When they would come home from work, Otto always came to greet them, following the same routine every night...**

Otto always had to greet them at the door, running full speed from wherever he was at, sliding to a stop right in front of them. If they didn't bend down to greet him right away, he'd start rubbing against their legs and purring until attention was given. Toby loved it. He loved having a pet to come home to. It always brought a smile to his face, no matter how hellish their day had been. He was always the first one on the ground, greeting Otto with a kiss and a pat on the head, taking a few minutes to play with him before heading off to start dinner, Otto on his heels with a playful meow. 

Happy, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and ignored him as he begged for attention. Although, the more Otto rubbed against her shoes, the more likely she was to crack a smile and rub his head with the toe of her boots. As Otto followed Toby to the kitchen, Happy would head off to the spare bedroom to work on whatever project she had going on at that time. After a few short minutes, she would get so caught up in her work, that she never noticed Otto cautiously strolling in, having been bored with Toby and looking for something fun to do. 

Slowly, he'd walk over to Happy and reach out his head, sniffing at whatever small parts Happy had methodically laid out. And she didn't notice. Then carefully, after sneaking a few glances Happy's way, he'd reach out and begin batting at the parts, hitting them around the room, playfully pounding on them, meowing at them as if they were prey. And Happy was none the wiser, too focused on her work to notice Otto playing. 

But then she'd reach out to grab the next piece she needed, feeling around for it. When it wasn't found, she was drawn from her work, looking around for it with a scowl on her face. 

"Damn it, Otto," she'd yell, reaching out to try to grab the parts. 

But Otto always though she was playing, so he'd playfully wrap her hand up in his paws and gently bite at her fingers. 

"Get off and give me those parts," she'd grumble, trying to shake him off, but it was to no avail, he was just too strong. "Toby," her annoyed voice rang through the apartment. 

He'd come running to save Otto from Happy's wrath, scooping him up with a laugh, and closing the door behind them, all while scolding Otto. And a half hour later, after Happy had stopped her work, it had all been forgotten, as she sneaked Otto scraps from her plate to where he was begging under the table. She just couldn't stay mad at him and ignore him when he looked up at her with pleading eyes from where he was standing on his back legs, front paws on her legs, meowing in the softest, sweetest voice he had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**It was two weeks after Toby brought Otto home that Happy was left alone with him for an extended period of time...**

"You're leaving?" Happy exclaimed, her arms crossed on her chest. 

Toby sighed and looked up from his packing, "Hap, I told you about this two months ago."

"No," she said, narrowing her eyes at him, "You told me that you were invited to a medical conference two months ago. You made it seem like you weren't going, but if you did, it was only a day and here in LA. You didn't tell me that it was a week long conference in New York."

Otto jumped up on the bed next to Toby's suitcase and peered inside with a meow. Toby pushed him back and slowly set the shirt in his hands down inside, realizing what she said was true. 

"Oh, right," he murmured, a pink tinge coloring his cheeks. 

"Yeah, that's right, genius," she grumbled taking a seat on the bed, "But you're still going anyway."

Toby stared at her with wide eyes, "What do you want me to do, Hap? I can't cancel now. I'm one of the keynote speakers." 

Happy grabbed one of his shirts from the laundry basket and began to fold it, "I guess there's nothing we can do now. I'll just stay here by myself with the cat I didn't want, while you go off and have fun in New York. It would've been nice if we could've discussed if, but apparently you don't think you have to talk to your wife about anything any more." She set the shirt down in his bag with a little more force than necessary. 

Toby quirked his brow at her, "I get the feeling this is about more than me just going off to New York."

She didn't look up to meet his eyes, instead choosing to focus intently on the pants she currently had in her hands. Otto made a small squeak and jumped into Toby's suitcase, burying his head under the folded clothes. Happy's eyes quickly flickered towards him before moving back to the pants again. 

Toby set down his shirt with a small chuckle, taking a seat next to Happy. "Is this about Otto?"

She met his eyes and frowned at his smirk, "How did you even get Walter to let you take the time off?"

Grabbing the pants from her, he took one of her hands in his own, "You're avoiding my question. Are you mad because you have to stay here with the cat?"

Happy took a deep breath and pursed her lips, trying to stay calm. "I'm upset for a lot of reasons, Doc."

He smiled gently at her and swept the loose stands of hair off her face before cupping her cheeks, "Then talk to me sweetheart. Because I know this is about more than me not telling you."

Happy rolled her eyes and pushed his hands away, standing up, "Oh, that's definitely one of the reasons why I'm angry. When you decide to go out of town, normally you run it by your wife, idiot."

Toby looked down at his lap shamefully, "Yeah, that wasn't smart on my part."

Throwing her hands up in frustration, she continued, "And the money. How they hell can we afford a plane ticket along with a hotel and food for a week...in New York City? I know we have some money saved, but I figured you'd have the decency to talk to me about it to see what we wanted to use that money for, together. Like a married couple should. And-"

"Hey, wait," he interrupted her, holding his hands up to stop her, "We're not paying for this."

Happy gave him a confused look.

"When you're me," he said with a cocky smile, "with everything I've accomplished, they pay me to come speak. Not only are they paying for the entire trip, but I'm also getting paid for this, Hap."

"How much are we talking?" she asked, her anger starting to dissipate. 

His grin went up a notch, "About $50,000."

Her eyes widened as she stumbled over the bed and sat down hard, bouncing the entire bed. Otto popped his head out of the suitcase and meowed quietly before continuing his exploration of the bag. 

"Fifty thou-" she cleared her throat, "Did you say fifty thousand?"

Toby nodded proudly. 

Happy hit his shoulder hard, "Well, why the hell aren't we rich then? You better not be lying to me, Doc."

He grimaced and rubbed his shoulder, "Stop it, woman. I don't think you know your own strength. That hurt."

She just rolled her eyes and waited for his response. 

"And I'm not lying to you, babe. For conventions like this, I can get anywhere from 30-60. Weekend conventions run about 10-15. It all depends on the subject matter and where it's being held. But people in the medical field want to hear me speak," he shrugged, "hear what I have to say about research and new potential theories."

"Why did I not ever know about this?" she asked incredulously. 

He gave her a half smile, "I've turned a lot down in the past couple of years, so there aren't as many opportunities for me anymore."

"Why?"

He sighed and took her hand, playing with her engagement and wedding rings, a sign that he was trying to keep his nerves at bay, "Because I was trying to quit gambling."

"Oh," she whispered quietly, realizing how hard it must have been for him. 

He nodded, "Yeah, I used to gamble it all away the second I got the check. But then I wanted to do better for you, so I stopped tempting myself with the money and just decided to not do the speeches until I had myself under better control. And I'm there now. I can do this and not worry about gambling it all away." He leaned over to kiss her temple, "I have you to thank for that."

She turned her head slightly to brush her lips against his in a gentle, barely-there kiss. "Then you have to go," she whispered, a slight hint of fear lacing her voice, "You have to get back out there and do what you want to do."

He gave her a small smile, "I know I should've talked to you about it. I'm sorry."

She leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder, "Yeah, you should've, but I understand why you want to do it. Doesn't mean I like it though." She sat back up and smirked, "So will this become a regular thing now, with big paychecks coming in all the time? We'll start living large?"

Toby laughed, shaking the bed and startling Otto again, who glared at him with squinted eyes, "I wish. Normally, conventions like this are only two to three times a year and even then, they don't like having the same keynote speakers at every convention. As for the shorter conventions, they're more often, but not as big, so not as interesting. I don't like those as much."

"Oh, darn it," she said with a forced smile, standing back up and reaching for another shirt of his to fold. 

Toby reached out and gently took it from her, "Sugar, I can tell there's more bothering you about this. What is it?"

Happy's eyes quickly flickered to Otto again, who was rolling around in the suitcase, biting at the drawstring in a pair of Toby's sweatpants. She really didn't know how to answer, how to explain what was going through her head at that moment. 

Toby's brow furrowed. He leaning over and picked Otto up out of his clothes, setting him on his lap. Otto immediately laid down and closed his eyes, purring loudly as Toby rubbed his finger over the spot between his eyes. "Is it him Hap?"

Letting out a light laugh, Happy took a seat back on the bed next to Toby, "No, it's not him," she murmured, running her hand across Otto's back, "Although I don't have any idea how to take care of him. Don't be surprised if one of us are gone when you get back though."

"That's not funny," he said, but she could hear the smile in his voice. 

"I wasn't joking," she deadpanned, shifting to better face Toby. Slowly, she ran her fingers up and down his forearm, concentrating on the movement and debating on what to say. 

"Happy," he prodded quietly. 

Otto meowed and blinked open his eyes sleepily. He looked up at Happy, then stood on Toby's lapped, stretched, and moved to lay down between the couple, laying his front paw on Happy's leg. She reached down to scratch his ears. After a long moment, she looked up, directly into Toby's eyes. 

"This might sound stupid, but I don't like the thought of you going away without me for such a long time. Not since what happened to you a few months ago," she swallowed hard and could feel tears building in her eyes. Dropping her lock on his eyes, she blinked back the tears and cleared her throat, "Not since what happened to you last time I wasn't around to save you."

"Sweet pea," Toby whispered, cupping her face and tilting her head to look up at him, "You can't keep worrying about that. I'm here and I'm fine. I survived."

She sighed, leaning into his touch, "I know that, but I can't help but worry. Doc, I almost lost you."

"But you didn't. I know you're scared, but, baby, we can't let that stop us. I promise you, I will be fine and in one week I'll be back here, with you."

She bit her bottom lip, closing her eyes in thought before saying, "I just really wish you would've told me about this sooner. It would've given me more time than just a night to get used to this. I swear, I don't want to be like this, Toby. I just haven't gotten over what happened yet. But in time, I will," her small smile turned into a smirk, "And besides, my husband's the best psychiatrist out there. I think he would have a few ideas on how to help."

Leaning in, Toby kissed her softly, "I think he might. But until then, you just have to believe me when I say that I will be home in one week. I promise. You can call me or video chat or whatever you need. I'm always going to be here for you."

Happy fisted her hands in the front of his shirt and whispered, "You better mean that, Tobias Curtis."

He smiled at her, running his hands down her sides until they were settled on her waist, he pulled her onto his lap, pushing Otto off the bed in the process, despite his attempts to stay on the bed and loud meows of protest. They both ignored him as he strode out of the room with one last upset look behind him. 

"I do mean it," he said gently, brushing his lips across her forehead, "I even think it was in our wedding vows."

She grinned up at him, "It was."

His grin matched hers as he leaned in to kiss her once more, "I love you, Mrs. Curtis."

"Love you too, Doc."

********************

Four days. That's how long Happy lasted until the worry about Toby became too much for her to hide. The first four days were filled with easy cases, tuning up everyone's cars, helping her dad with projects around his garage and house, and even getting drinks with Paige after work. And then her nights were filled with talking to Toby, tinkering with small appliances, and watching tv. It kept her mind occupied, leaving her unable to dwell on the possibility of something happening to Toby.

But on the fifth day, when she woke, she knew immediately that nothing was going to distract her from her wandering thoughts. She hated that she was bothered that he was gone for so long - she had never been bothered by it before. But before him, she never had anyone to miss when they went away; she closed herself off from anyone who could ever get close. But ever since she let him into her life, she didn't feel quite right when he wasn't around. 

Even Otto was starting to notice the difference and miss Toby too. He'd walk around the apartment, letting out small meows, looking for him in all of his usual spots. He'd sit on his seat at the kitchen table or lay by a pair of his shoes, waiting for him to come home. Otto would even sit by the door after Happy got home at night, hoping to see Toby come in as well. Happy knew how he felt. The apartment and life just wasn't the same without Toby there. Both she and the cat were acting pitiful; it was rather embarrassing for her to admit. 

For the rest of the week, Happy (and Otto) found a new routine. Happy forced herself to wake up with the alarm, knowing Toby wouldn't be there to wake her up when she fell back asleep. And after checking her phone and smiling at the few sweet and sappy texts from Toby, she'd go start the coffee, stopping to greet and feed Otto on the way. The rest of her morning was spent getting ready in silence, a sound Happy never realized she would grow to hate so much. 

After giving Otto a treat and sending Toby a few texts of her own, she was off to the garage to do whatever was needed. She kept to herself, focusing on the work in front of her. More quiet and pensive than normal, she couldn't help but make a few sharp comments to the other members of the team when they tried to interrupt her. They eventually learned to stay away and let her be. When she couldn't stay bent over her workbench any longer, she'd step outside to give Toby a quick call that lasted only five minutes. Enough for her to reassure herself that he was fine and she was overreacting. And after that, for the rest of the afternoon, she kept herself amused by sending a few, non work appropriate texts to Toby during her breaks, knowing how it would rile him up. He'd respond just as she expected, keeping her entertained until it was an appropriate time to go home. 

Once home, after declining Paige's offer to go get drinks again, Happy'd drop her bag on the ground, give Otto a little attention, and then head out for a run, despite Toby's request for her to not do that when he wasn't around in case she got hurt - he could get a little overprotective and worrisome too. Then, after a meal and a shower, she'd change into one of Toby's shirts (her favorite bedtime clothing) and settle down on the couch. She wouldn't even push Otto away when he curled up right beside her. But instead, she'd absentmindedly pet him; running her hand across his fur as she had seen Toby do a hundred times before, his loud purr causing her to increase the volume on the tv. But when her phone rang, and she stopped, he lifted his head and cocked it slightly, almost as if he was questioning why she stopped. 

"Hey baby," Toby's loud voice filled the room as his face appeared on the screen. 

She smiled when she saw him and relaxed back into the couch, turning off the tv, "Hi."

"Hap," he said in a serious tone, an annoyed look covering his face, "How many times have I told you? You cannot send me pictures and texts like that during the day while I'm at the convention. I was in the middle of a conversation when I saw one today and had to hightail it out of there before he could ask me what had gotten into me. You're too damn sexy for your own good."

Happy frowned, but was betrayed by the laughter in her eyes, "And how many times have I told you that you can't tell me what to do?"

Groaning, he tilted his head back and ran his hand down his face, "I swear, sugar lips, you're going to be the death of me." He looked back up and grinned, "But I really don't care. It's a good way to go. So how's my favorite lady doing?"

She sighed, "Fine, I guess. Work has been pretty slow so far this week, so I've had a lot of time on my hands. It's strange without you there to keep me entertained. How about you?"

"I'm really glad I did this, Hap. I feel really good about the whole thing. It's nice to get back to where I started, talking about research, medical advancements. You know, get back to what I know..."

Otto was confused by what was going on. He heard Toby, but he didn't see him. Standing quickly, he jumped to the back of the couch, his eyes scanning across the room to see if he could find him as Toby droned on about the convention. Eventually, his eyes landed on Happy's phone, where Toby was on the screen. He carefully put one paw on Happy's shoulder, bending down to get a better look, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. She shifted and Otto lost his balance, sliding back down to the couch cushions with a dissatisfied meow. He immediately hopped back up on all fours and cautiously got closer to Happy. Putting his two front paws on her leg, he peered around the side of the phone to check out where he heard Toby's voice coming from. 

"...but then he - well hey," Toby said with laugh when he saw Otto filling the screen, "There's my boy. How're you doing Otto?"

Happy rolled her eyes and pushed him back, off her lap, as he tried to bat at the phone with one paw. To keep him pacified, she started petting him again. "He's as weird as ever. I think he misses you. He walks around at night looking for you, I assume, and has been laying on your shoes a lot lately."

Toby laughed loudly and said in a voice a parent would use with a baby, "You're a good boy, Otto. You keeping your mom company?"

At this, Otto climbed back up on Happy's lap and sat, staring at the phone. Happy let him stay, she couldn't help herself. He did look pretty cute sitting on her lap, darting his eyes back and forth between her and the phone. She started scratching his neck again as she continued talking to Toby. 

Eventually though, Toby grew too tired to form coherent sentences, so they had to say their 'I love you's' and goodbyes. Once Happy hung up and set the phone down, she sighed, a little sad that Toby wasn't there with her. And Otto sensed this. Turning around in her lap, he put his front paws on her chest and stood up, nuzzling his head against her chin. She smiled and ran her hand down his back. Tilting his head up more, he licked the tip of her nose, causing her to scrunch up her face and let out a light laugh. She pushed him back slightly. 

"Okay, that's enough now."

He meowed, then climbed off her lap and curled up in a tight ball by her legs. 

"I miss him too, Otto," she whispered, turning the tv back on. 

They stayed there, just like that, until her eyes grew too tired and heavy to stay open. She fell asleep sprawled out across the couch, with Otto curled into her side. When she woke a couple hours later, she stumbled into her bedroom, too tired to see straight, with Otto following right behind her. Falling into bed, Happy didn't even care that she forgot to shut door and Otto had jumped up on the bed next to her and fell back asleep himself. She liked feeling the warmth from his body against her feet...but she would never admit that the Toby.

********************

"God, I missed you," Happy murmured, stepping closer to Toby as the elevator doors slid shut.

He grinned down at her as she slipped her arms around his waist, sliding her hands into his back pockets. "Missed you too, sweetheart."

She nuzzled her head into his neck for a second, closing her eyes and taking in his unique scent. It was comforting and familiar, and something she had missed more than she'd ever admit over the past week. Turning her head, she placed a soft kiss on his neck, before raising on her tiptoes to kiss him sweetly, slowly. When she pulled back, she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him with wide, relieved eyes and breathed out, "Love you."

He kissed her forehead, his one hand sliding up her back to tangle in her hair and cup the back of her head, and smiled gently at her, "I love you too."

Then falling back against the wall of the elevator, he captured her lips again, deepening it as Happy let out a small moan and relaxed further into him. They kissed slowly and lazily, taking their time to reacquaint themselves with one another after what had been a long week for both of them. Before either of them wanted to, they had to pull apart when the elevator dinged at the arrival on their floor. With one last quick kiss, Toby grabbed his bags in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Happy's shoulders, heading to their apartment. 

The second Toby pushed open the door and walked inside, with Happy's arms wrapped firmly around his waist from behind, kissing the center of his back, Otto came barreling out from the second bedroom, running at full speed to greet them. Seeing Toby, he meowed loudly and happily and began rubbing against his legs. Happy let go of him as he bent down to pet Otto. 

"Hey buddy. I missed you too," he laughed, picking Otto up and kissing him on the head. 

Happy rolled her eyes, but smiled at the scene. She grabbed Toby's bags and took them to their bedroom. By the time she got back out, Toby was on the floor, playing with Otto, with a huge grin on his face. 

"He's happy you're home," she commented, smiling at the two. 

Toby looked up at her, his grin growing, "Hope he's not the only one."

Walking over to them, she squatted down to kiss Toby firmly, leaving him in a daze. "He's not." 

Taking Otto's mouse, she threw it down the hall for him to chase after, which he did with a predatory meow. Toby gently ran his fingers up and down Happy's thigh as she stared at him with a smirk on her face. Leaning in, she brushed her lips against his one more time before abruptly standing as Otto came trotting back over. Toby's face grew into a pout, which she found hard not to laugh at. 

"How about Chinese for dinner?" she asked suddenly, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. 

"Kind of wanted you for dinner," he grumbled as he stood, ignoring Otto's attempts to keep him playing. 

"What was that?" Happy asked, distracted by her phone as she looked up the number. 

Toby smiled and kissed the top of her head as he walked by, "Nothing, Chinese is fine." He started walking down the hall when Otto ran and climbed up his back, settling on his shoulders. With a laugh he said, "I guess Otto's going to come help me unpack."

"Okay," she said, lifting her phone to her ear, "I'll let you know when it's here."

Two hours later there were Chinese cartons strewn across the coffee table and Otto was sleeping on one corner of the couch, while Toby was on the other side with Happy on his lap. Her one arm was wrapped behind his shoulder, her fingers gently massaging the base of his neck, running her nails through his short hair. He was telling her about his trip, everything from the dinners they served to the old man who kept falling asleep during the talks, all while running his fingers up and down the outside of her thigh mindlessly. 

But Happy wasn't paying attention. She was too focused on the way his mouth moved, turning up at something he thought was funny. Or the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down each time he swallowed. She wet her lips unconsciously, her desire for him growing. She wanted to taste his skin, feel his lips against hers. Feel his hard body press against hers. Hear their combined moans fill the air. The desire was almost too much to handle. 

His body shook with laughter as he continued on. "Then, Dr. Hamilton was trying-"

He was interrupted by Happy forcefully pulling his head down to hers, smashing their lips together with a small moan. 

"I don't care, Doc," she whispered against his lips, shifting to straddle him. She gently pulled his bottom lip between her teeth, "It has been a long week. I just want you."

Toby nodded quickly with wide eyes, his fingers digging into her hips, unable to speak. Smirking, she kissed him again, running her tongue across the seam of his lips until he opened, meeting hers with his own, a desperate sound coming from the back of his throat. She pulled back slightly, sliding her lips across his jaw and down to his neck, teasingly sucking at the skin with a quiet moan.

"You can tell me all about it later," she breathed, sliding her hands underneath his shirt, gently running her nails down his abs. 

His hands, which had been perched on her waist, slid into her back pockets, squeezing as she rolled her hips against his. She nipped at his ear lobe, as he swallowed hard and whispered, "Yes, later, much, much later."

"Good," she answered breathily, rolling her hips again. 

"Com 'ere," Toby whispered, leaning in for another bruising kiss, his hands pushing her shirt up to run across the soft skin of her back. 

A few minutes later, Happy pulled back, panting, and reached for the bottom of Toby's shirt, ripping it off over his head and throwing it behind the couch. A grin pulled at her lips before she leaned done to kiss his chest lightly, running her fingers up and down his sides. He moaned quietly as she began nipping at his neck, his fingers digging in to her skin, pulling her even closer to him. 

She sat back and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, ready to pull it off over her head, but Toby stopped her with a slow kiss, placing his hands over hers. 

"That's my job, sweetheart," he mumbled, grinning against her lips at her eagerness, "I want to do that."

Happy sighed and tilted her head back when Toby's lips brushed against her neck. "Then don't take so damn long," she breathed, grinding her hips against his again. 

"Yes, dear," he laughed, his fingers playing with the edge of her shirt. Slowly, teasingly, he started lifting her shirt up, letting his fingers trailing along her bare skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. 

Happy let out a strangled moan as his hands wandered higher and higher, leaning further into his touch. It was torture, but the kind she wouldn't mind every day. "Toby," she groaned out, her eyes fluttering shut when he leaned in to place feather-like kisses across her exposed skin. 

He chuckled against her skin, his warm breath tickling her. After what seemed like hours, Happy's shirt was finally pulled off over her head, Happy sighing in relief and pulling Toby's head to hers for a forceful, passionate kiss. Toby groaned and deepened the kiss, throwing the shirt to the side so his hand was free to explore her body. 

A strange meow came from the other side of the couch. They both froze and turned their heads to look, not letting go of each other. Otto was sitting up, staring at them, Happy's shirt having landed on him, covering half of his head. He lifted his paw to try to bat off the shirt, his eyes never straying from the couple. 

"This just got weird," Happy whispered, turning to look at Toby. 

He captured her lips with his own, his hands sliding up her back to the clasp of her bra. "Just ignore him, Hap."

Happy stopped his hands before they could undo the clasp. "I can't," she responded, holding back another moan as Toby's scruff scraped against the sensitive skin on her chest. 

"Then bedroom," he mumbled, sucking at her skin. 

"Yes," she breathed her eyes closing, arms tightening around his neck pulling herself closer, her fingers running through his hair, "Hurry."

Toby stood up, Happy in his arms, and started walking to their bedroom. Happy wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing his shoulder and neck, quickly forgetting about Otto. Toby carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him, before falling to the bed. He quickly flipped them over, pressing Happy into the mattress, and started placing open mouth kisses down her stomach until he reached the waistband of her pants. 

Quickly, he unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them and her underwear off quickly, desperate to taste her as her moans filled the room. His hands and lips trailed up her legs, until he reached the spot they both knew would drive them crazy with lust. Kissing her there softly, Toby couldn't help but chuckle and smile as Happy cried out his name and pressed herself closer, her nails digging into his scalp. 

A little while later, Happy reached her peak, Toby's name falling from her lips. Slowly, he crawled back up her body, placing soft kisses on her skin. Pressing his lips to hers, he kissed her deeply, sliding his arms under her arched back to undo her clasp, sliding her bra down her arms, and throwing it across the room, letting his hands wander across her skin. 

Suddenly, Happy hooked her legs around Toby's waist, flipping them until she could press Toby into the bed. Grinning down at him, her hands went to his belt, quickly pulling it off, followed by the rest of his clothing. Shifting her body, she leaned down to kiss him gently, while settling down on him, a sigh of relief escaping from her lips. 

After another lazy kiss, she sat up and began moving, incoherent sounds from both Toby and Happy mixing together. Toby's hands ran up her stomach to her chest, causing Happy to close her eyes, arching back and let out another guttural moan from the back of throat. 

Out of nowhere, a small meow was heard in the split second of silence between the two. Happy immediately stiffened, her eyes flying open. Her head whipped to the door, quickly realizing the door didn't catch when Toby had kicked it shut and Otto had pushed it open. Then turning her head to the side and she was met with two green eyes staring up at them from the ground. He meowed again and took a step closer to the bed. Frantically grabbing the sheet, she pulled it around her, covering her naked body, as Toby started laughing loudly. 

Hitting him lightly on the chest, she hissed, "He's watching us, Toby!"

Toby gently pulled at the sheet, but Happy wasn't letting go, "Baby, just ignore him. He'll leave soon anyway." He rolled his hips, still inside her, and grinned salaciously at her, "Besides, we have more important things to do." Sitting up, he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to his lips, to try to convince her to keep their love making going. 

She kissed back for a second, but when Otto meowed again, she pulled back and frowned. "Babe, I can't. Not with him here. It's too weird. He needs to leave, now." Leaning back in, she kissed him gently before biting his bottom lip and whispering, "Or we can forget this and I'm going to sleep," she kissed him again, "fully dressed." She pulled back and off of him, twisting to lay on the bed, fully covered by the sheet. Reaching out, she walked her fingers up and down his arm, "So make your choice, Doc - me and you, naked, in bed or the stupid weirdo cat sitting on the floor watching us."

Groaning, Toby rolled out of bed, grumbling, "It's you, always you. Never even a question." He picked up Otto, who meowed and nuzzled his head into Toby's hand, "Come on, Otto. You have to leave. I'm not ready for the night with my lady love to be cut short just because of you."

Happy held back a laugh at Toby and threw an extra pillow at his bare ass. "Hurry up or I'm going to have to finish without you," she called after him. 

"Damn it, Otto, don't ruin this," he muttered before yelling over his shoulder, "You better not, baby."

Otto meowed loudly as Toby set him down on the couch and turned to head back to his wife in their bed. Otto scampered behind him, meowing to get his attention. When they got back to the door, Toby pushed him back with his foot. 

"I won't feel sorry for you tonight, bud," he nodded towards Happy, "She's more important than you and after the week I've had, I need her tonight."

"Are you seriously talking to the cat as if he'll understand you, you dork?"

"Oh, be quiet. I know you talked to him this week. I'm just explaining to him why I'm ignoring him tonight so he won't be sad."

"Ugh," Haply groaned, flopping back onto her pillow, "Just hurry the hell up and get back over here."

"Yes ma'am," Toby said excitedly. He pushed Otto back and quickly shut the door, locking it just to be in the safe side. Turning around, he made his way back to the bed and began slowly crawling across it to Happy, who had pushed the sheet aside and was looking at him with a mixture of want and need. Bending down, he kissed her foot lightly and worked his way back up her body. By the time he had reached Happy's lips, she was already halfway gone, looking at him through heavily lidded eyes. He grinned down at her and whispered, "Now where were we?"


End file.
